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As William has already pointed out, a typhoon is approaching. TropicalStorm.com says that we are very likely to experience tropical storm winds by Sunday. Of course, wind is not the only threat; storm surge and heavy rain can also be dangerous. Take care!
-- Kirk
http://www.tropicalstormrisk.com

Typhoon update. While some forecasts show the typhoon passing over Kagoshima, JMA shows Kumamoto in the crosshairs. Either way is bad: the center gets stronger wind but less rain, the outer bands less wind but stronger rain - and typhoons coming from the west drop a lot of rain on the west side of the island.
Of greater concern: The typhoon has slowed down. Originally expected to come ashore Saturday morning, that time now appears to be Saturday evening; nighttime typhoons are a bit scary. Furthermore, as it meanders over the warm East China Sea, it is strengthening - from a projected 960 HPa yesterday to 935 HPa today which, in meteorological terms, is friggin' strong. It also appears it will take its time over Kyushu, perhaps a full day.
Batten down, get your flashlights and board games out, order your pizza early - this looks to be a biggie. - William

For the past few weeks I've had a nasty cold, and it reminded me of my favorite sinus-clearing Japanese snack—karashi renkon (辛子蓮根)! Karashi renkon, which means “karashi (a type of mustard) lotus root,” is a Kumamoto specialty and has become a popular side dish at local izakaya. I’ve tried it in several varieties, from the traditional style pictured below to little fried nuggets of lotus root with pockets of eye-watering mustard tucked inside. I love the crunch of the lotus root and the sharp kick of mustard. It’s hard not to like the vibrant colors, too!
Apparently karashi renkon was first cooked up as a sort of home remedy for the things that ail you. It definitely puts a spring in my step. What are some home remedies from your hometown or childhood? When I had colds as a kid my mum would always make me hot honey, lemon and ginger, and even now that combination of smells still makes me feel at home. I think only wasabi trumps karashi renkon for clearing out your sinuses, though!
-Grace

This post is from last year. This year the main event will be held on the 17th (this Sunday). Here's a link to the official schedule (in Japanese):
http://fujisakigu.or.jp/reisai/nittei.html
======
UPDATE
======
Rescheduled for October 9th due to the typhoon:
http://higojournal.com/archives/fuzisakiguuakinoreitaisai-enki.html
-- Kirk
Festival Focus: Fujisaki Hachimangu (Kumamoto)
The leaves may not be turning until November, but Kumamoto likes to kick off the autumn early with the five-day fall festival at the city's Fujisaki Hachiman Shrine. While the weather may still be ...

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Lotsa ways one can say "nama ham" (生ハム) - raw ham, uncured ham, dry-cured ham, prosciutto; a word I just learned today is cortador, Spanish, referring to a chef who prepares the ham in thin slices and arranges them beautifully on a plate. The reason I bring this up is that a certain Mr. Jo Akihiro, proprietor/chef of the Spanish restaurant El Castillo (get it?! His name translates as "castle," so he names his restaurant "The Castle"! Ha ha ha!) on Shinshigai was runner-up in the all-Japan Cortador Competition held in recently in Tokyo and will thus, along with the winner (some guy from Osaka), represent Japan at the World Cortador Cup, to be held in Toledo, Spain at the end of this month.
Two points. One: I shoulda been a prosciutto judge - when I was in college, I didn't even know such a job existed. Two: I really, really want to visit his restaurant (新市街13−8 Azuma ビル2F). - William
生ハム切りの技で全国準Ｖ　熊本市のシェフ・城さん - 熊本日日新聞
生ハムの知識やカッティング技術を競う「コルタドール競技会」で準優勝した城章洋さん＝熊本市中央区　生ハムの知識とカッティング技術を競うコルタドール競技会（日本生ハム協会主催）がこのほど東京都内で開かれ、熊本市中央区新市街のスペイン料理レストラ...

Hmm. We seem to have another coming. Autumn typhoons can be rather powerful, so let's keep an eye on it, shall we? - William

Tangentially related to Kumamoto: Abnormally low tides portend imminent disaster. Both tsunami and typhoons tend to suck up a lot of water before suddenly spitting it back out. Below top is a photo taken in Tohoku shortly before the tsunami hit; bottom is one of two beached manatees in Florida - apparently, the water withdrew too quickly for them to follow (they're not the brightest of animals, but then, this is not a normal situation). Fortunately, both were quickly rescued by rolling each onto a tarp and dragging them them to a channel, from whence off they swam. The rescuers than rapidly got the hell off the beach.
Lesson: If you're at the beach and see something unusual like exposed tako pots or vast expanses of sand, head for the hills. Full article (and more photos) at the link: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/beached-manatees-rescued-low-tide-hurricane-irma_us_59b5b0b8e4b0354e44129193 - William

Personally, I am not interested enough in the inner workings of Sony's Kumamoto plant to read this long article carefully (about 2,700 words). Perhaps, however, there are some readers of this page who have some connection with the plant or other reason to be interested. -- Kirk
Inside Sony Kumamoto: A rare glimpse inside Sony’s super-secret sensor factory
Back in early August, I had the very rare opportunity to tour Sony's sensor factory in Kumamoto, Japan. We had only limited access to the factory itself, but I learned a lot about Sony's sensor technology and fabrication…

Hurricane Irma is poised to rake the entirety of Florida from south to north. This reminds me of the deadliest non-earthquake related disaster in Kumamoto in modern times: a massive storm surge that left 31 dead and 1,211 injured, destroyed or heavily damaged almost 4,000 homes, and flooded 21,000 homes.
Typhoon 18 ("Jake") came ashore over northern Kumamoto on September 24, 1999 with a barometric pressure of 930 hectopascals, dragging behind it a large storm surge. The peculiar characteristics of Yatsushiro Bay - south-facing with a very gradual slope and narrowing width - funneled the surge into a tsunami-like wave that barreled through the sea until it hit the cul-de-sac, the fishing town of Shiranui (不知火 - interesting name). This phenomenon has occurred in Shiranui periodically through history. Images of the surge and its aftermath are shown below.
Best wishes to the people of Florida from your friends in Kumamoto. - William

This movie will be shown in Kumamoto on Oct 9th at the follow event:
-------- start quote --------
Diverse Family Film Festival in Kumamoto
「いろんな家族の映画祭in熊本」
Organized by
Diverse Family Film Fest. in Kumamoto Project Team
Time:
October 9, 2017 (Mon.) 10am-4:30pm (doors open at 9:30am)
Location:
Kengun Lutheran Church
(2 Chome-1-3 Shinsei, Higashi Ward, Kumamoto, Kumamoto Prefecture)
In front of “Kengun Koban Mae” tram station
http://kengunlutheranchurch.blogspot.jp/p/blog-page_21.html）　
　Schedule:
9:30am Doors Open for the Morning Session
10am Film “The Case Against 8”
12-12:30pm Legal Explanation of “The Case Against 8”
12:30-1:45pm Social Lunch Meeting (free of charge)
Members of LGBT groups in Kumamoto, as well as from other part of Kyushu, will introduce themselves and their activities.
You can bring your own lunch or purchase a bento box from “Makanaiya Matsu” at the venue. Please purchase a lunch ticket (700 yen) in advance if you’d like to purchase for sure, because of a limited number of lunches available.
1:45 Doors Open for the Afternoon Session
2-3:30pm Film “Gaby Baby”
3:30-4:30 Talk Session “Diverse Families ~ Changing Kumamoto to a city where we can love who we love ~
A man who has a same-sex partner and a woman who is raising children with a same-sex partner in Kumamoto will share their experiences and thoughts about their lives.
Admission:
Free for elementary school or younger
One film ticket 1200yen, Lunch ticket 800yen
Advance: Whole day ticket (2 films and lunch) 2500 yen, One film ticket 1000yen, Lunch ticket 700yen
-------- end quote --------
This English explanation has been copied from
https://www.facebook.com/events/140436666515227/
Please go to the event page for more information.
-- Kirk
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt3898028/
Gayby Baby (2015)
Directed by Maya Newell. With Matt Young. GAYBY BABY follows the lives of four kids - Gus, Ebony, Matt and Graham - whose parents all happen to be gay. As they each wrestle with personal change, the outside world wrestles with the issue of marriage equality, and whether or not kids of same-sex famil...

We had an inquiry about where to rent a kimono. There are lots of places in Kumamoto that provide this kind of service, though I don't know if any have English speaking staff. Here's a link to a Google map showing the locations of many stores in Kumamoto City:
https://goo.gl/PPHN9x
-- Kirk

Here's a little castle-restoration question and answer article.
-- Kirk
https://mainichi.jp/english/articles/20170903/p2a/00m/0na/002000c
News Navigator: When will Kumamoto Castle restoration work finish? - The Mainichi
The Mainichi answers some common questions readers may have about restoration work at Kumamoto Castle, heavily damaged in the 2016 Kumamoto earthquake disaster.

https://japantoday.com/category/crime/man-found-dead-in-kumamoto-apartment
-- Shared by Kirk
Police in Kumamoto City said Thursday a 59-year-old man was found beaten to death in his apartment on Wednesday night. According to police, the victim, Yoshihiko Mitsunaga, who lived alone, had been beaten about the head several times with a blunt object, Sankei Shimbun reported. His body was found…

This post is not directly related to Kumamoto. If you have an interest in how crimes committed by non-Japanese are presented in the media, you may want to keep reading.
The other day, I saw a report about the following incident on a news program I had recorded:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jLDHOF9dEs4
It's an attempted murder case in which the suspect is alleged to have attacked the policemen who came to see him about a traffic violation. What surprised me was that they only referred to the suspect as "the man" (男は) and did not identify him by name. This surprised me because recently there was a big flap about a Vietnamese person who resisted arrest and fled with handcuffs still attached:
https://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2017/09/02/national/crime-legal/vietnamese-turns-biting-cop-escaping-handcuffs/#.Wa4BQK2B2-o
The name of the suspect (along with a picture and his nationality) was published early on, even though he was less violent than the man accused of attempted murder.
I wondered if there were any clear rules about when to go public with personal information and when not to. According to this website that appears to be sponsored by a group of lawyers, there are none:
https://www.fuhyo-bengoshicafe.com/bengoshicafe-12954.html
"この点、法律上特に実名報道の基準はありません。報道機関内で通用しているガイドラインなどもありません。"
In the particular cases I mentioned, there may be a reasonable explanation for the difference in treatment of the suspects, but at this writing I can only speculate about what that might be.
That's all I wanted to say -- just a little note about something I will continue to think about as I consume TV news.
-- Kirk
警察官２人を切りつけ 殺人未遂容疑で男を逮捕 金沢
２７日夜、金沢市の住宅で、交通違反の捜査で訪れた警察官２人がこの家に住む男にいきなり刃物のようなもので切りつけられてけがをし、男は車で逃走しましたが、およそ１時間後に警察に身柄を確保され、殺人未遂の疑いで逮捕されました。警察官２人はいずれも意識があり、命に別状はないということです。 警察によりますと、２７日午後１...

We, at Kumamoto International, have received an inquiry about whether any events have been planned to be held in Kumamoto on World Peace Day (国際平和デー), September 21st. I looked on the web and found references to events to be held in Hiroshima but nothing about Kumamoto. Does anyone know anything about an event planned for Kumamoto?
-- Kirk
P.S. You can see the entire documentary about Jeremy Gilley’s efforts to encourage waring nations to observe World Peace Day at
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pVo4lQe8MhQ
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FcnoPgu_-RA
ピースデイ・国際平和の日を制定した、イギリス人俳優ジェレミー・ギリ氏の活動を追ったドキュメンタリー。 http://www.ufpff.com/dap 「一年に一度でもいいから、戦争や紛争、あらゆる暴力を止めたい」 ザ・デイ・アフター・ピースはそんな夢を抱き、強い願望と不屈の精神で国連が定めた日、ピースディを作っ...

**End Sept./October Start** Full-time English instructor in/willing to move to Sakura City, Tochigi (Near Utsunomiya City)** Work is contracted through a Kumamoto-based language provider, Parakaro. よろしくお願いします。Contract for six months to one year. Teach Adult English courses at an automobile parts manufacturer. Lessons are due to start from as early as the last week in September.
The details are as follows:
Start date – End Sept./October
Work hours – 40 hours a week
Work content – Mainly English teaching on the premises of said company, with some extra text development, translation or checking work in downtime
Pay – (Tentatively) 250k per month + rent subsidy (exact amount to be decided during negotiations).
Requirements – Teaching experience, a willingness to follow a curriculum, friendliness.
Visa - Must already have appropriate working visa status. *Please provide proof with initial, introductory email*
Preferences (but not necessarily a requirement) – Japanese ability, a driver’s license.
Texts and systems, along with full training and support, are provided.
Existing apartment provided by company - in Sakura City, Tochigi. Rent subsidy given, but utilities extra. Commute to company premises takes either 25 minutes by bicycle or 5 minutes by train, plus a 10-minute walk from station. Bicycle included with apartment. Aforementioned train travel expenses covered.
The job will go to the first available candidate but other work may be available. Interested parties are asked to please send an introductory email, with CV and proof of working visa status. You will subsequently be asked to sign-up via e-Roster:
Email: [email protected] (FAO: Danny McGregor)
E-Roster: http://hyper.parakaro.co.jp/eroster/pub/Entrance.action
Contact: Danny McGregor (Parakaro - 860-0073 熊本市中央区大江1-25-34)
パラカロ : http://www.parakaro.co.jp/index.html
Email: [email protected] (anytime)
Mobile: 080-5809-5801 (M-F / 9am-6pm)
Office: 096-361-1222 (M-F / 9am-6pm) **Edited to say: Posted by Ruth**
Parakaro e-Roster

Hello, everyone! As some of you know, I work for Parakaro, in Oe, Kumamoto City. We provide language courses and translation/interpretation services. We're currently looking for an *English Instructor/Co-ordinator*, so if you're interested, please read the description below and get in touch! Feel free to share this job posting. E-mail: [email protected] (FAO: Danny McGregor) - Many thanks, Ruth
Parakaro Corporation is looking for additional staff to take on English instructor and course co-ordination duties at our Kumamoto City office. We are interested in hearing from both native English speakers and non-native English speakers who want to use, and improve, their English, and Japanese skills – and, indeed, other language(s). Are you self-motivated and feel that you would thrive in a relaxed, internationally-attuned work environment? If so, please get in touch with a short introductory email and CV: [email protected]
Teaching duties may involve day-time and/or one or two evenings per week on the premises of a major semiconductor manufacturer, or similar client based in a nearby business park. Student ability level: Beginner to Lower Intermediate level.
We also have various interpretation, translation and proof-reading projects; those interested in this kind of work will also be given the opportunity, and training, to do so once they manage their main English teaching and office projects.
Contract Start/Duration: Interviewing immediately! Start as early as September/October on either a P/T or F/T basis. We are willing to discuss a mutually beneficial work schedule which also suits your private life - or other commitments if you can only work on a P/T basis.
Location: Oe, Kumamoto City (Opposite KKT) / 熊本市大江1丁目
Remuneration: ○ Co-ordinator pay to be discussed at interview stage.
○ ¥2500~ p/h + all travel expenses for teaching. Negotiable, based on experience and evaluation.
In-house texts, lesson plans, training and support will be provided throughout the courses.
Requirements: ○ Visa which allows such work
○ English teaching experience preferred
○ Understanding of Japanese customs
○ A full driving license and own car/motorbike are preferable
○ A can-do attitude, friendliness and willingness to learn
If interested, please send an introductory e-mail and CV to Danny at Parakaro: [email protected]
We also ask interested parties to register their details on e-Roster, our online recruitment site, at http://hyper.parakaro.co.jp/eroster
Person in charge: Danny McGregor,
Language Course General Manager,
Parakaro Corporation,
1-25-34 Oe,
Chuo-ku,
Kumamoto 862-0971
Phone: 096-361-1222 / Fax: 096-361-1223
e-mail: [email protected]

After the quakes hit Kumamoto last year, difficulties faced by pet owners became of reoccurring topic of discussion on this page. For a list of the many posts containing the words "pet" or "pets" go to
https://www.facebook.com/search/123734781033296/stories-by/str/pets/keywords_posts/intersect/
So, I thought readers who were interested in how pets and their owners got through the quakes last year might also be interested in this good news about a step forward that's been made in the U.S.
The key idea is that, because most people cannot bring themselves to abandon a loyal pet when evacuations are called for, failure to accommodate pets leads their owners to refuse to evacuate or to refuse shelter -- decisions that can have life and death consequences for the humans who make them as well as for their non-human companions.
-- Kirk
https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/animalia/wp/2017/08/31/how-the-chaos-of-hurricane-katrina-helped-save-pets-from-flooding-in-texas/?utm_term=.3f7df5d1f540
How the chaos of Hurricane Katrina helped save pets from flooding in Texas
Many New Orleans residents refused to leave their pets behind in 2005, leading to deaths — and changes in the law.

Happy Sunday, everyone! I follow a page run by the town of Arita in Saga prefecture, which is about two hours by car from Kumamoto, and recently they shared some info about an event that I thought some of you might be interested in. It's a classic car rally called the "Tour de Arita" and it's taking place on November 18th (as well as at Huis Ten Bosch on the 19th), but they're also looking for people with classic cars to participate. Registration for classic car owners is by the 10th of September, which is why I'm posting now. If you or someone you know has a classic car and would be interested in participating, please think about getting in touch with them! Arita is a beautiful little town famous for its traditional style of pottery and is still home to many potters, craftspeople and artists. The rally has been going on since 2014 and there are some great pictures on the event's website and facebook page, which I've shared below.
Arita is actually a sister city to my hometown, Alameda, California, which I didn't even know until after I'd been there! It's a beautiful area with tons of interesting culture and history and is a great place to take kids. I'm sure this is going to be a really fun event.
-Grace
http://td-arita.com/
https://www.facebook.com/tourdearita/
『ツール　ド　アリタ』のラリー参加者募集中！｜有田観光協会 ありたさんぽ
有田観光協会ホームページ「ありたさんぽ」。イベントや観光施設、オススメコースを、有田焼からグルメまで情報満載。ぜひ有田へお越しください。